Safety-heel



No. 6|8,|28. Patented Jan. 24, i899.

H.; OSULLLVAN. SAFETY HEEL.

(Application med Dec. 14, 1898.)

(No Model.)

W Illll/11111111111111111111 l l NITnn STATES einen.

PATENT SAFETY-H EEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent' No. 618,128, dated January 24, 1899.

Application filed December 14, 1898. Serial No. 699,248. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may] concern.-

Beit known that LHUMPHREY OSULLIVAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Heels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to safety-heels for boots and shoes; and it consists in the article of manufacture hereinafter described and claimed, the object of said invention being to furnish an improved means for securing a safety-cushion or elastic top lift to the body of a heel and an improved form of suctionrecesses for discharging the dirt and snow therefrom.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an isometric perspective View of the lower rear part of a shoe, including the heel, with my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2, a reduced plan of the parts shown in Fig. l 5 Fig. 3, a vertical longitudinal section of the heel of a shoe on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2, adjacent parts of the sole and upper of the shoe being in elevation, the parts being represented as inverted in all said figures.

The shoe A, having an upper a, sole a', and heel u?, is of any usual construction, except that the heel is provided with a safety-cushion B or top lift of elastic material, preferably rubber.

The cushion or top lift B is of a suitable shape to conform to the outline of a heel and is solid, except that its bearing-surface h is provided with a plurality of holes, preferably in the forni of suction-recesses b', which flare outwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, in such manner that, while the pressure of the Weight of the wearer compresses said cushion and expels a part of the air in each recess and causes said cushion to adhere slightly to the surface walked upon, the raising of the foot allows the heel to resume its normal size and shape and permits said recesses to expand in such a manner as to loosen the snow or dirt contained in them and let said snow or dirt fall out of said recesses.

I do not claim in this specification a safetyheel provided with a plurality of holes or suction-recesses and secured to the body of the heel by means of nails or screws passing through burs or Washers placed loosely in the bottoms of said holes or recesses; but the embedding of burs or washers in the elastic top lift under and concentrically with the holes or recesses, each being adapted'to receive a nail or sore7 to secure the lift to the body of the heel, is the gist of the present invention.

In the preferred form of my invention I secure the burs or washers permanently in the top lift of elastic material by casting or molding them therein parallel with the bottom or wearing-surface of the heel, each bur being concentric with one of the holes or suctionrecesses, as shown in Fig. 3, and arranged just above said hole or recess. By this construction the washers are always in place and there is no danger of an inexperienced person attempting to fasten the safety-cushion to the heel of the shoe by means of nails alone, the heads of which nails are ordinarily too small to prevent the elastic or rubber heels from being drawn off from them. This construction also prevents dealers from selling the cushions without washers or burs,.inasmuch as said washers or burs C are embedded in said cushion and cannot be separated therefrom without cutting open said cushion. I also use nails D, screws, or equivalent devices to secure the safety-cushions in place on the body of the heels, such nails being driven through the middle of the washers into the heel, as shown in Fig. 3.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesl. As an article of manufacture a top lift of elastic material for heels for boots or shoes, -provided with a plurality of holes in its outer face extending partially through the thickness of the lift and having small burs or wash* ers embedded in said lift, concentrically with and under said holes, adapted to receive nails or screws to secure said lift to the body of the heel, substantially as described.

2. As an article of manufacture, a top lift of elastic material for heels for boots or shoes, provided with outwardly-daring suction-recesses in its outer face, extending partially through the thickness of the lift and having burs or Washers embedded in said lift under under said recesses, adapted to receive nails said recesses, adapted to receive nails or or screws to secure said lift to the body of the screws to secure said lift to the body of the heel, substantially as described.

heel, substantially as described. In testimony whereof I afx my signature 5 3. As an article of manufacture, a top lift in presence of two Witnesses.

of elastic material for heels for boots or shoes T 1 provided with suction-recesses in its outer,` HUMPHREX O SULLIVAN' face extending partially through the thick- Witnesses:

ness of the lift and having burs or washers T. HART ANDERSON,

1o embedded in said lift concentrically with and 1 HORACE VAN EVEREN. 

